1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector and to a connector assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
EP 0 548 961 discloses a connector with a housing that has cavities for receiving terminal fittings. Locks are formed on inner walls of the cavities to engage the terminal fittings. The locks can be thinned to reduce the size of the connector. However, the thinner locks are less rigid and may hold the terminal fittings less securely.
EP 0 548 961 discloses another connector with a housing that has cavities for receiving terminal fittings. Locks are formed on inner walls of the cavities to engage the terminal fittings. A jig can be inserted through a jig insertion opening in the front of the housing and into a deformation space for the lock. The jig can deform the lock resiliently in a direction to disengage the lock from the terminal fitting. The locks, the deformation spaces and the jig insertion openings all become smaller if the connector is miniaturized. As a result, the jig may be difficult to insert through the jig insertion opening.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H09-153386 discloses a connector with female terminal fittings. Each female terminal fitting has a tube for connection with a male terminal fitting and a barrel for connection with a wire. The tube and the barrel have substantially equal heights. Accordingly, the height of cavities for accommodating the terminal fittings is adjusted to the height of the barrels over the entire length.
Terminal fittings become shorter as the miniaturization of connectors progresses. Thus, barrels of a miniaturized connector may be taller than the tubes due to the diameter of wires to be connected. The cavities have a uniform height that conforms to the height of the barrels as before. However, a part of a housing corresponding to the tubes is increased uselessly and does not contribute to the miniaturization.
The height of the cavities could be increased in accordance with those of the barrels and the tubes. Then, the outer surfaces of the housing would be stepped at a boundary between a part corresponding to the barrels and a part corresponding to the tubes. The height of the connector can be made shorter than before if the housing is fit into a receptacle of a male housing up to the part corresponding to the tubes. However, the depth into the receptacle along a connecting direction is restricted to the depth up to the part corresponding to the tubes and an area before the barrels. This design constraint hinders efforts to shortening the length of the connector when the two housings are mated.
The connector of EP 0 548 961 is shown in FIG. 32 herein and has a housing 150. The housing 150 has locks 151 and deformation spaces 152 below the locks 151 have heights to permit deformation of the locks 151 within their resiliency limit. The deformation spaces 152 hinder efforts to shorten the height of the housing 150. The locks 151 could be walls of cavities 153. Thus, the locks 151 could be exposed at outer surfaces of the housing 150 and could resiliently deform in a manner to project out of the housing 150. With such a construction, the height of the connector can be shortened since it is not necessary to provide the deformation spaces in the housing 150. However, a separate means must be provided to prevent excessive deformations of the locks 151 in such a case.
The present invention was developed in view of the above problem, and an object thereof is to improve the operability of a connector, particularly while allowing a miniaturization of a connector.